Jan 6, 2019 3 min read

Back in October, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast that the United States would enjoy a relatively mild winter, with no parts of the country experiencing colder-than-normal temperatures, and drier conditions prevailing in the Great Lakes region.

Forecasts, of course, offer no iron-clad guarantees, and a warmer-than-average season doesn’t mean we’ll escape a fierce snowstorm or two. But if we aren’t locked in an icebox from now until April, that will be welcome news for pretty much everyone except avid skiers and students hoping a school cancellation will give them a reprieve from an algebra test.

It will also offer something of a silver lining for the more than 18,000 households in Pennsylvania that go unheated, or households that get their heat from unsafe sources, such as space heaters or fireplaces.

According to the annual Cold Weather Survey released a few days after Christmas by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), more than 18,500 households from Erie to Philadelphia entered the winter season without central heating because their utilities had been cut off. The good news is this represents a 4 percent decrease from 2018, and a 16 percent drop from 2016.

Still, the fact that there are close to 20,000 households in Pennsylvania moving into the new year with homes that do not have a safe heating source should be a cause for concern.

Patrick Cicero, who directs the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the results of the Cold Weather Survey offer “a clear indication that additional support is needed to address the gap in universal utility services to the state’s most vulnerable individuals. … The fact that thousands of our fellow Pennsylvanians are forced to do so is both shameful and completely preventable.”

The survey notes that more than 5,600 residences do not have safe electric heating, and close to 13,000 households do not have safe natural gas heating. Upon the release of the survey, the PUC underscored there are many programs available for citizens who need a hand paying their heating and electric bills, and that utilities should increase efforts to let consumers know what resources they can access. This includes grants available through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which is administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Information is available at county assistance offices around the commonwealth, or by calling 866-857-7095.

Utilities can also offer tips on how homes can be heated more efficiently and cost-effectively. Another point that should be emphasized: Utilities in Pennsylvania cannot turn off the heat in households during the winter without first getting permission from the PUC.

In the grand scheme of things, the way we heat our homes and offices is a fairly recent development. We’ve come a long way from having to shovel coal into a basement boiler or having to huddle around a fire. Our furnaces and thermostats are now something most of us take for granted. We need to help those who don’t have that same luxury.